pothin



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. POTHIN.

PROVISION SAFE.

' Patented Au 30,1881.

N. PETERS Phaloiitlwgmphlr. Wanin wn, l1. 2v

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

. G. POTHIN.

PROVISION SAFE.

PM 4 553. Patented Aug. 30,

liiii UNiTED STATES PATENT firric GUSTAVE POTHIN, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

PROVlSl ON-SAFE.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,553, dated August 30, 1881. Application filed July 2, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, GU STAVE POTHIN, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Savannah, in the county of Ghatham and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safes for Household Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of safes for household purposes which are provided with shelves for holding various edibles, and also provided with perforated sides, which, while admitting fresh air into the safe, will prevent bugs and flies from entering the same.

The object of the present invention is to construct a safe of this character of detachable sections provided with looking devices which will admit of the sections being either locked together to form a sat'e,or detached from each other and packed into compact form for purposes of transportation or storage. These'objects l attain by means of devices hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the sale with the top, one of its doors, and the bottom drawer detached, so as to show more clearly the locking devices for the several sections. Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal section taken through the safe. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the lockin g device employed. Fig. 4 represents the detached sections stacked up.

A refers to the four vertical bars which constitute the corner bars of the body of the safe and the legs for supporting the same. These bars are connected in pairs by the horizontal end bars, 13, that are provided alongtheir inner sides with ledges for the shelves 0 to rest upon, the lowest in the series of these said end bars being made considerably wider than the upper ones, and being likewise provided with ledges which support the drawer D, Fig. 5, that forms a bottom for the body of the safe. These vertical and horizontal bars constitute the end frames of the safe-body, the said frames being covered with perforated sheet metal or with wire-gauze E. The doors F are also composed of rectangular frames covered with perforated sheet metal or with wire-gauze, and are detachably hinged to the vertical corner-bars at the front side of the safe, the pintles of said hinges being shown as connected with the said bars and received into sockets e of the leaves that are fixed to the doors.

The front corner-bars of the ends of the safe are detachably connected together by means of the upper and lower horizontal bars, Gr Gr, and the locking devices arranged at the points where the horizontal bars tit against the vertical ones. These locking devices, which are best illustrated by Fig. 3, are each constructed 1 as follows: A locking-bar, H, is secured to the horizontal bar, with its end extending beyond the end of said bar G, and it is provided at the extremity of its extended end with a lip or flange, h, that is adapted to engage the locking plate. This locking-plate I, which is socured to the inner side of the vertical cornerbar, is formed with a mortise, t, for receiving and holding the flanged end of the locking-bar, about one-half of the lower part of said mortise being covered at the front by a guard or flange, I, that is beveled or inclined on itsinner side to correspond with the bevel h ot'the end flange of the locking-bar. The bar G is also provided with a pivoted laterally-swinging latch, K, arranged in a recess, L, formed by cutting away a portion of the bar G, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

To look the vertical and horizontal bars together the flanged end of the locking-bar is inserted into the upper uncovered portion of the mortise in the locking-plate, and the horizontal bar then depressed so as to bring the flange of thelocking-bar into position in rear of the guard 1, and that portion of the locking-bar between said flan go and the bar G into the contracted passage 1 at the lower part of the mortise. The guard-plate prevents the horizontal barfrom beingdrawn laterallyaway from the. vertical bar, and by reason of the bevels on the flange and the guard the end frames of the safe will be drawn and held in rigid connection when the bars are locked by means of of said locking devices. The latches are then turned on their pivots so as to pass under the ledge 1 formed by cutting away a portion of the locking-plate, as aforesaid, and when they are brought into line with the horizontal bar will extend into the mortise under the top wall thereof, thus preventing any accidental disconnection of the several parts or sections of the safe.

The rear horizontal bars, N, have grooves which receive the tongues of a pair of back boards, PP, these boards being also provided with tongues which fitinto grooves in the rear vertical corner bars and into grooves in the sides of the vertical bar Q, that is arranged be tween said back boards, and supported by means of tongues fitting into the grooves of the upper and lower rear horizontal bars of the safe.

The top It will be secured on the body of the safe by means of screws or other suitable fastening devices whereby it can be detached therefrom when desired.

The latches connected with the rear horizontal bars can, if preferred, be provided with holes 1', through which screws may be passed, so as to hold the same down; or, instead of screws, latches similar to those employed in connection with the latching devices for the front horizontal bars can be employed. It will be obvious that when the sections of this safe are locked together a strong and light structure will be formed, and that when it is desired the same can be detached and the various sections packed up into compact form.

As indicated in Fig. 4, when the sections comprising the safe are thus detached from each other and packed, the whole will occupy comparatively small space, and hence can be readily transported from place to place, or be stored away when it is not desired to use the safe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 18-- 1. In a provision-safe, the corner-posts A, provided with locking-plates I, constructed with the lateral mortise t, ledge l, guard-plate 1, and contracted passage 1, in combination provided with mortised locking-plates I, having a ledge, Z, in combination with the horizontal bars, provided at their ends with fixed locking-bars H, having their ends provided with laterally-extending flanges h, and the piv oted laterally-swingin g latches K, arranged on the upper sides of the horizontal bars, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a provision'safe, the corner-posts A, provided with a mortised locking-plate, I, having the contracted passage l, and the guard plate 1, constructed with an inclined interior face, in combination with the horizontal connecting-bar provided with attached lockingbars provided with lateral lips or flanges h, substantially as and for the purpose described.

at. In a provision-safe, the corner-posts A,

provided with attached mortised lockin g-plates I, having ledges Z, and guard-plate I, having its inner face inclined, in combination with the horizontal bars, having at their ends project-- ing headed locking-bars'ainl pivoted laterallyswinging latches K, arranged in recess L, formed in the upper sides of said horizontal bars, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAVE POTHIN. Witnesses:

T. B. THOMPSON, M. FRANK MoLINA. 

